The Different Effects Social Media Has

 Social media has been on the rise for many years now. There are a vast amount of different social networking sites that allow different types of communication amongst us as a society. The main ones I use are Snapchat, Instagram, and Facebook. Although all of these offer communication as a way to connect i definitely use them all for different purposes. I would say a benefit to Snapchat is the ability to share your life and what you are doing directly in that moment. It is a very raw source of social networking because you cannot easily edit the photos you are sending. It allows the individual to create a closer connection to the person they are messaging because it is so popular and that is its main function. There are some drawbacks to this app, as it has been updated through the years people have lost a sense of privacy in their lives. Snapchat has gone through countless updates and each one allows others to see more and more of that persons life even if they don't want to. You can track their location, see when they are not responding to you deliberately, and find personal information about them just through their profile. Transitioning over to Instagram, I would say I use this app very differently. Instagram's main way of communication is through posts. People will post their accomplishments, mile stones in their life, places they have visited, and etc. It is not as intimate as Snapchat is. I think Instagram has a lot more drawbacks to it than benefits. It is nice that you can post all the cool things you have done but in excess it can become a very toxic place. Instagram is so oversaturated that people start comparing themselves to unrealistic standards and that can take a toll on their mental health. On Snapchat people take a raw picture and send it but on Instagram there is a process when posting and part of that process for some people is editing their pictures. This is a major problem within this app because it skews the beauty standards and make young girls strive for a goal that's not possible. The last social networking site that I use is Facebook. I would consider this a lot healthier on individuals mental health then Instagram. On this site you can also post like you can on Instagram but it is not as saturated. I think a huge part of Facebook is the Marketplace. This allows people to sell and buy their unused items. This is beneficial because it is very sustainable and good for the Earth. Facebook makes it easy to sell and buy so people are inclined to use this site rather than others. Another aspect of Facebook that is beneficial is the ability to make groups. This aspect connects strangers with other strangers who have things in common. I think that is a nice touch because everything is online in this day in age so having a group that you can join with people with the same interests is amazing. I do not have many drawbacks to this site but maybe it is because I do not use it enough to see them. In the end each of these apps have a different purpose to them and someone can benefits something from most of them.

 Mental health is a big conversation to be had in correlation to social media. Since social media is such a big aspect of our daily lives it influences us everyday in good or bad ways depending on how you look at it. Social media can be very toxic and that can lead to a bad mental health for its users. I think these sites should promote mental health as much as they can because most of the world struggles with anxiety or depression. A lot of these people also do not go to therapy or can't afford it. If a site were to promote mental health to their users I think creating a campaign where people who have dealt with severe depression share their stories. This would let the users know they are not alone and that they will not be in the deep dark hole they are in forever. Although depression cannot be fixed, there are ways to cope with it to make it easier to deal with in their daily life. Have people share how they cope and what they have found helpful can give ideas to these users to implement in their lives. I think along with a campaign it would be helpful if the sites shared some free or cheap alternatives to therapy. This would allow the users to explore the thought of therapy without breaking the bank. Social media has such an influence on our society that I think it is pertinent that mental health is part of the discussion.